Green Your Life ~ One Period at a Time!! Momiji natural Cloth Menstrual Pads

Rie Ito was so kind to send me a few Momiji natural pads to try out for you all!  In fact, I received one of each size!  Thank you, Rie!!!

{Warning: lots of pics in this post!}

Website: www.momijinatural.com
Made by:  Momiji Natural Corporation
Country of origin: Sri Lanka
Company: FAQs

Momiji Natural Corporation cannot actually sell directly to the US.  Here are some links where they can be purchased:

www.meluna.org
www.ayuryasmeen.com
www.shop.menstrualcup.co

Here is their nighttime pad!  I found this to be the most unique pad in that it’s shaped to really cover your fanny at night to prevent leaks all over the place.  And it’s a whopping 12 inches long!

Next is the large sized pad, which I found to be sufficient for using over-night since I was using these in conjunction with either a cup or the sponge.

They’ve got the 9 inch pad as well.  And yes, I’m aware that I have it snapped wrong side.  😉  That was so I could tell it apart from the next pad and not think I just took the same pic twice.

As you can see here, the business side of these pads are sewn in well.  The 3 stitched rows keep the insides from shifting around and bunching up.

There’s also an 8 inch pad.

I really like the fabric that Momiji natural uses.  They are made of 100% cotton.

And finally, they have the thong pad!

I can’t say I’ve ever used a thong pad before, but I did know of their existence.  They are actually quite comfy!

I couldn’t help but wonder how well Momiji natural pads would work because they seem pretty thin compared to other pads I’ve reviewed so far.  But, I found they worked quite well.  And as you can see from the pics here, they clean up very easily too!  Which is always a plus in a reusable menstrual pad.  Not that many people will see your personal items like this, but I don’t want mine to look all stained up for sure!  The fabrics are all too adorable to look dingy.

They suggest folding them up small and snapping them in place for when you will be out-n-about (see below).  This is quite easy to do and actually a great way to deal with soiled pads until you can get home to wash them out.  Just tuck the soiled side inside the “envelope”.

Over-all, I am very impressed with Momiji natural’s cloth pads!  I definitely recommend that you try them out for yourself!

Until next time friends….

 

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Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this review and my opinions are my own. When reviewing a product I will let you know if I purchased the item or was provided a sample from the company for review purposes. My opinion of the products I review is for information purposes only.

Green Your Life – One Period at a Time!! Bella Menstrual Cup

I apologize that I’ve gotten a little behind on these reviews, I’ve just had a lot going on.

I was given the opportunity to review the Bella Cup.  I received one of each size for review purposes.

It comes with a color brochure in English…

Bella Cup Facts

Website: www.bellacup.co.kr
Made by:  TS International
Country of origin: Korea
Lifespan: website just states “Lasts for years”
Composition:  Medical Grade Silicone
Sizes:  small and large
Dimensions:  Small: 41mm x 23.8mm, Large: 45.5mm x 53.1mm
Stem:  20.3mm
Capacity: Small: 20 mL, Large: 30 mL
Measuring Lines:  None
Cost (USD): $29.70 usd
Guarantee: None that I can find.
Other: Comes with a sturdy velvet pouch
Company: FAQs

ANATOMY OF BELLA CUP

I really like the smooth texture of the Bella Cup, and I think it’s rather pretty too as far as a menstrual product goes.

The design of the stem really makes it easy to grab hold of for removal, as does the slightly textured stripes around the base of the cup.

The logo is on the inside just under the rim.  There are a total of four vent holes to help release the suction.

To show you the difference in the two sizes.

Sorry for the blurry shot, but this one is to show you how soft the Bella Cup is compared to the Ruby Cup – Bella squished down slightly more.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of all the cups I’ve reviewed so far:

MY EXPERIENCE

Well, the small one was definitely too small for me!  It literally wouldn’t stay in when I stood up.  I did have slight problems with the large one, but managed to get some small successes before it would slip.

I really like the design and the smooth texture helped with ease of inserting it.

The velvet bags are very well made and the draw strings hold well.

I tried two different folds with this one (above and below) and found the one below to be the easiest to work with.  (Hint: it’s the fold I’ve been most successful with when using every cup so far, your results may vary.)

 

Over-all my experience with the Bella Cup was hit or miss.  Sometimes it would stay in place, then sometimes it seemed super slippery and would just slide out.  I think the mixture of it being super smooth and pretty soft was causing my slippage problems.  I think strengthening my pelvic floor will help with this.

 

Don’t forget to sign up for my Occasional Newsletter!

Guest Post: That field of Greens May Also Be Your Dinner

 

Will Forage for Soup: Gourmet Soup From Wild Greens, is one of the eBooks included in the Ultimate Survival Bundle.  Amanda Rose (co-author) has been so kind to write up a guest post for me to share with you all.  I was given the opportunity to review her eBook last week and below is just a teaser of the great recipes that are included in it.

Order the Ultimate Survival Bundle here, before it’s gone!

~~~

As foodies, many of us are looking for a meal satisfying in flavor and nutrition, but most of us want more than that: an entire lifestyle with the flavor, nutrition, and satisfaction that the food we are eating is fantastic. In our household, we began our food foraging as a way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the typical food-sourcing experience. Instead of navigating parking lots and cereal aisles, we hiked and climbed rocks. We were stung by nettle and scratched by wild blackberry vines in the process but it was all good. Fresh air, exercise, and exquisite food have a way of making up for bruises, scratches, and welts. Admittedly until the spring of 2012, our foraging was limited to batches of wild berry jam and springtime collections of chamomile and nettle for tea. In April of 2012, I set out to collect two bags of nettle from a field I had my eye on. As I looked more closely at the field, gloves, clippers, and bags in hand, I discovered that for every nettle plant, there were about one hundred lamb’s quarters plants in the same field. I looked at my bags and at the lamb’s quarters. I wondered, “Shouldn’t I pick some of this other green? What would I do with a mountain of lamb’s quarters?” I filled by bags with lamb’s quarters and threw in some nettle stems for good measure. I took the greens home intent on trying a greens soup. Soup is a great way to consume a pile of greens. At home, I described the field full of lamb’s quarters to my mom as we worked together on the soup — sautéed onion and garlic, spices, boiled and drained lamb’s quarters in a base of broth, all pureed into a dense pot of greenness. We were taken a back by just how green the soup was, but we ladled it out and sat down together to try it, albeit a bit hesitantly. I ate four bowls of greens soup that night. We laughed as I finished the fourth: Clearly my body needed this extra-green bowl of foraged goodness. We made plans to harvest more lamb’s quarters from that field and spent Mother’s Day of 2012 doing just that. We loaded the back of my station wagon with lamb’s quarters and processed it for the freezer. We had greens soup for months. This is one of our recipes from the 2012 season, using some foraged greens and some cabbage from our garden, but any greens that you like will do.

Greens Soup Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon green cabbage leaves, cleaned and torn or chopped
• 1/2 gallon lambs quarter leaves, torn from the stems and cleaned
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Coconut oil or oil of your choice
• 8 cups bone broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour or thickening of your choice (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 heaping tablespoon dried tarragon

Greens Soup Steps

1. In a large soup pot sauté the onion, garlic and pepper flakes in oil until the onion begins to brown.
2. Add the tarragon and sauté for a couple more minutes. The oil wakes up the flavor of the tarragon.
3. Pour in the bone broth and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the cabbage greens, put on a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil, add the lambs quarters, and boil for about five minutes. Discard the boiling water.
6. Once the cabbage is cooked, add the boiled lambs quarters, stir, and allow the mixed greens to simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Carefully pull the greens from the broth and puree in a food processor.
8. Return the pureed greens to the soup pot and stir to blend. The soup will already be thick. If you would like it thicker, then blend the tapioca flour with a cup of water and slowly add to the soup, stirring the whole time. The soup will be thickened in about 2 minutes.
9. Check for salt and pepper and make adjustments.

After falling in love with this soup completely in 2012, we found ourselves disappointed that the drier season here in 2013 would affect the lamb’s quarters crop. What would we do without our lamb’s quarters soup? One mid-winter morning as my mom and I drove down the same road we’ve traveled on for 30 years, she said, “Honey! Stop the car!” At the nearest turnout we walked back to examine a field of green that caught my mom’s eye. It was stinging nettle, a green that makes an exceptionally silky soup. We filled our freezer with 30 quarts of blanched nettle leaf within weeks of our discovery. We had so much nettle that our small small lamb’s quarters harvest later in the spring was of no consequence. The freezer was stocked and greens soup makes regular appearances on our menu. As you travel in your local area, take a second look at fields of green. Your next dinner may be looking back at you.

~~~

Amanda Rose, Ph.D. is the coauthor of Will Forage for Soup: Gourmet Soup From Wild Greens, written with her mother in California’s Sequoia National Forest. Find them both at the FreshBitesDaily.com website.

Green Your Life ~ One Period at a Time!! Domino Cloth Pads

Karin at Domino Pads was so kind to send me these 2 lovely pads to review.  She started making pads because she needed a better choice for herself after having her first child.  You can read her story here.

I received on petite medium and a petite liner.  The petite medium is the beautifully hand-dyed in the Raspberry Pop color option.  It’s 8 1/2” long and 2 1/2” wide.  It’s made of organic bamboo velour ~ OH SO SOFT!

The petite liner is also hand-dyed and the color is called Still Waters.  The fabric is minkee, which is actually a little softer than the bamboo velour.  This liner is 7” long and 2 1/2” wide.

As you can see both have a snap closure.

They came with a nice fold out brochure to show you all the size options and how to care for your new pads.

The tag on each pad also has care instructions printed on it.

 

You can read all the details on their pads here as well as on their FAQ page.

My Experience

I found these pads to be quite comfortable.  I had plenty of potential for leaks since I was using these alongside the FemmyCycle and the Sea Sponges, but I experienced zero leaks through the pads.  I tend to use the longer pads more often just because I find them more comfortable.

And she even sent me a yummy organic lollypop!  mmmm, thanks Karin! 

A Giveaway on Facebook

This week on the Domino Pads Facebook Page, they have a giveaway, so go check that out and sign up.  The prize, in addition to a Domino panty liner starter set, includes a Lunette menstrual cup and a beautiful artisan glass try.

 

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this review and my opinions are my own.  When reviewing a product I will let you know if I purchased the item or was provided a sample from the company for review purposes. My opinion of the products I review is for information purposes only.